Thursday, December 8, 2016

Christmas Day, a
celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ; a most holy day for all Christian
sects.Gifts, from the most humble to
the most expensive, are exchanged.Feasts the like of no one in Bethlehem saw unless they were of royal
descent.Glazed ham, roasted turkey or
goose, stuffing, vegetables, potato dishes and the desserts, oh my, the
desserts!It’s like Thanksgiving all
over again, but with gift exchanging.

Growing up in an
Italian/Croatian/mainly Catholic neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York; Christmas
Eve was a major deal when it came to food.“The Feast of the Seven Fishes” symbolized several items from the Bible:
7 days of the week, 7 pilgrimage churches in Rome, 7 gifts from the Holy
Spirit, and the 7 Sacraments.This was
an all week cooking experience; Salted Cod (Baccala), Shrimp Oreganata, Fried
Calamari, Spaghetti with Shrimps in Sauce, Baked Whole Fish, Linguine in Clam
Sauce and Baked Clams were the usual fare.

While researching various
foods served at Christmas, I began to wonder, “If I threw a birthday bash for
Jesus, what would I serve?”First off,
he was of Hebrew descent, so ham, and pork products of any kind, would
definitely be out!Turkey and goose did
not roam freely throughout the deserts of the Middle East; ah, but a plentiful
bounty of seafood resided in the Mediterranean Sea.Upon the hillsides, shepherds raised and
herded sheep; lamb would definitely have been served for a birthday meal.Olive oil and vinegar used for cooking;
olives and pomegranates as appetizers; nuts, figs, dates, grapes and honey
would be tasty dessert treats; unleavened bread (flatbread) handy for grabbing
hot meat off a skewer; and, of course, fish and lamb.

Pomegranates

I can hear it, yes, I can
actually hear it, “What is the purpose of all I’ve written?”To make you think!In this world of ours that has become so
dependent on technology; when the price tag means more than the actual gift;
why?A most important question in
Philosophy; Why?Why get up at 3am, to
be on line at some big name store at 4am, to bash others in the head if they
lay so much as one finger on an item desired?Why brag about how much was spent, or better yet, purposely leave the
price tag on a wrapped gift?Why go gaga
over gifts when it’s not even your birthday!?!How is this an actual celebration of the birth of God’s son, your
savior; the one you pray to and constantly ask help from?Think about it, no, actually sit in silence
and think!

“And I will do whatever
you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I
will do it." John 14:13-14

I fully believe that the
way Christmas Eve and Day are celebrated, in these modern times, would be very
disappointing to Jesus Christ.Bickering
over gifts, bragging over money spent, not sharing with those who have less,
displaying a complete lack of kindness; nope, he wouldn’t be very happy at all.

So, in the spirit of the
holiday season, I’m going to share with all of you a traditional Christmas recipe
that even Jesus Christ might enjoy (well except for the ricotta cheese; not
really supposed to mix protein with dairy in Hebrew tradition).I will say, “Happy Birthday Jesus and Merry
Christmas to All!” even though I do not follow the Christian sect.Why?It’s the kind thing to do, and that is what it’s all about…the kindness.

In a small skillet,
medium-high heat, sauté red bell pepper in two teaspoons of olive oil until
softened; add in spinach, drizzle two teaspoons oil over leaves and cook until
wilted.

In a medium bowl,
thoroughly combine egg, garlic, herbal mix, cheeses; gently fold in spinach
mixture.Cut slit into tilapia
lengthwise (not all the way through); with tip of knife cut halfway into both
sides of the fish to create a pocket.Stuff half the mixture into each fillet; place into baking dish and
drizzle remaining two teaspoons of oil over the fish.

Bake 20-25 minutes; until
fish is flaky and filling is warm throughout. (Higher altitude, baking time might be 15 to
20 minutes instead.)

Yule (origin Norse and/or Germanic), celebrated from December 21st (Winter Solstice - a fixed point in time) to January 1st (noting a season); 12 days of celebration where each night a candle is lit, a log burnt within the hearth, and a horn of mead (honey wine) is consumed. Huzzah!

This is the origin of the "Twelve Days of Christmas", a popular carol sung during the month of December when Christians believe their savior was born on December 25th. Historians though believe it was more than likely during the summer months of June or July; when travel throughout the Middle East would have been more suitable.

Yule Party Guest List

December 21, 2016

Jesus Christ responded
with, “Don’t worry about the wine, I’ll take care of that.Just make sure to have several kegs of water
available.”He is such a neat guy,
always brings to a party without having to be asked.

Odin and Freya are coming,
bringing mead (honey wine) of course; they’re not partial to that, as they call
it, “sissy French dishwater” that Jesus makes; but they sure know how to liven
up a party.

Zeus and Hera will be
bringing nectar and ambrosia; oh, they know how much Roy loves baklava, so
they’ll be bringing a cartload of that too.The bull pulling the cart, told them not to kill and roast it this year;
it took me forever to get the blood stains out of the carpeting!

Jupiter and Juno, being from
Rome, are doing the “feast of the seven fishes”; yeah, that’s a Roman Catholic
thing, but they giggle like hell when they relate how pissed off Neptune was
when they took the fish out of his sea.

Cernunnos, well it is his
birthday and sometimes he acts all, “look at me, it’s my birthday!”, but once
Odin gets him dosed up with a few horns of mead, yeah, Cernunnos simply sits in
the corner and smiles a lot.This year
he won’t be bringing his stag, since Zeus tried to hunt and cook it last year
along with the bull.

Mohammed sends his
regrets, with all the “issues” going on in the Middle East, he doesn’t think it
will all be settled by the 21st.He makes the best hummus ever too!I’m going to save him a seat at the table just in case.

That’s all the guests I’ve
heard from so far; but I always make sure to buy extras for those who simply
show up.

All are welcome,
discrimination is a human fault, not for we Gods and Goddesses.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

As many recipes I keep seeing on Facebook about Asian Chicken in the Crock Pot, Hawaiian Chicken in the Crock Pot, Chinese Chicken in the Crock Pot, Mexican....well you get the gist of it. There comes a point where it's simply, I've got these ingredients in the pantry and chicken; what do I do with it all to make a meal?

That's exactly what happened last week after I pulled out chicken and simply stared at it. I was totally clueless as to what to make with it. Do I fry it, bake it, make a casserole? I saw a jar of pineapple chipotle salsa, cans of pineapple and a plan began to take form. I pulled out green bell peppers and onion from the refrigerator and began dicing. Then came the crock pot into which I dumped it all, set it on high and said to myself, "Good Luck!". Four and one half hours later on, the chicken was tenderly cooked; the sauce looked thin, but was quickly fixed with an addition of cornstarch whisked in. Served over white rice, it was amazingly delicious; score one for the "throw it all in and good luck" technique.

Line sides and bottom of
pot with chicken; place bell pepper and onion in center.Pour salsa over all; cover with pineapple
slices.

Cook on high for 4-5
hours; until chicken is thoroughly cooked.Carefully remove pineapple and chicken; mix cornstarch together with remaining
ingredients in pot to thicken sauce.Serve chicken breast and pineapple slice (s) over rice; spoon sauce from
pot over all.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Back in 1985, a coffee cake recipe came out in a woman's magazine "Woman's Day", "Good Housekeeping", "Better Homes and Gardens"; I don't know which one. A friend, at that time, had made the recipe, the cake was delicious, so she passed the recipe on to me. Somewhere in my many, many handwritten recipes books is the recipe, but I was too lazy to wade through all the paper. So, I went online to see if anyone had posted the recipe somewhere; I found many versions, but not the one I truly wanted.

Then I noticed "Copycat of Starbucks Coffee Cake", clicked on the link and there was the recipe I'd always used; but with two minor changes. See, when it comes to recipes, you can make someone else's recipe your own by simply changing two ingredients; so Starbucks used sugar instead of brown sugar, and added a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Or so I think they did, since this is a copycat recipe, so the blogger basically thinks this is how it's made. The blog is "Your Homebased Mom", and here is the link to her recipe: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/copycat-recipe-starbucks-coffee-cake/.

I made the appropriate changes, typed the recipe up on the computer, and now I have it in a more convenient place. I made four cakes and the one mistake I made is to forget I live in a high altitude location (7100 feet above sea level), so forgot to add extra flour, and reduce the oil, to the cake mix. The cake batter bubbled over the topping and was tacky on top of three of the four cakes; but they were still delicious. Well at least I hope they were; I gave those away, but I haven't heard any complaints, or they're just being nice.

Anyway, here is the original recipe from 1985, so now you can copy me instead of Starbucks. Of course to get the four cakes, I doubled up on the recipe; and used 8" x 8" aluminum pans; instead of two 9" x 13" ones; easier to give away that way. By the way, at that time, moist cake mixes were just coming onto the market, so this recipe called for those original "non-premoistened" mixes. Women began adding extra ingredients such as buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream to get the cake to be moister and richer. No need for that now!

Coffee Cake
Made From Cake Mix

Ingredients:

1 box yellow, moist cake
mix (plus ingredients on back of box)

2 sticks cold, salted
butter, softened

2¼ cups flour

1½ Tbsp. cinnamon

1¾ cups brown sugar

1½ Tbsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350, spray
9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray.

Prepare cake mix in large
bowl according to directions on box; pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 15
minutes; batter will still be liquid.

While cake is baking,
prepare crumb topping; in large bowl combine butter, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar
and vanilla until all crumbly (use pastry cutter or hands).

Add remaining ingredients to softened butter.

Use hands to work ingredients together.

Cinnamon streusel topping.

15 minutes, batter is giggly, so be careful removing from oven.

Immediately after cake is
removed from oven, break crumb topping into marble size pieces with fingers,
sprinkling over top.Put back in oven
and bake an additional 15-20 minutes;topping
will begin to look less wet, toothpick inserted into cake will come out
clean.Let cool before cutting into squares.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Thanksgiving Day; a full
day devoted to giving heartfelt thanks for family, friends, good health,
prosperity, and, in general, the full bounties of life.These aspects of life should be thanked for
on a daily basis, so why the need for an established National holiday?Let’s take a brief walk down history lane to
find out, shall we?(From The
Thanksgiving Book by Jerome Agel and Jason Shulman)

1610 – Only 60 survivors,
of 490, remain of the English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia.A day of Thanksgiving, in the spring, is
dedicated to prayer, and praise for the ships that arrive from England carrying
supplies.

1621 – Only 55 survivors,
of 102 Pilgrims, have a three day celebration for the first autumn harvest
(corn, squash, fish and meat from hunting (no turkey!).The Wampanoag Indians are invited, and this
is cited as the first unity between Native Americans and white English
settlers.

1789 – President George
Washington declares a “National Day of Thanksgiving” to be November 26th
to celebrate the ratification of the Constitution.He left it to each State to decide if it
should be celebrated or not; it failed to be an annual event due to lack of interest.

1863 – President Lincoln
declares the last Thursday of November to be a “Day of Thanksgiving and
Prayer”, believing it would help bring an end to the Civil War; all government
departments must be closed.Sometimes it
was the 4th week of the month, sometimes the fifth week until 1941.

1941 – President Franklin
D. Roosevelt declares Thanksgiving to be the 4th Thursday of
November and that’s the way it’s been since.

As you’ve read, the true
meaning behind Thanksgiving depended on life, death, governmental achievements,
or the attempt to end war.Even the
Mormon pioneers of 1847 did not celebrate Thanksgiving until October 1848.The Salt Lake Valley was burnt due to the
harsh July sun; the desert was barren, alkaline, with sparse sage brush and
cottonwood trees.Much time and energy
was devoted to irrigating and cultivating the soil before a real bountiful
harvest could be achieved.“…the
pioneers rejoiced with a Thanksgiving harvest festival, literally giving thanks
for their continued survival. (Mormon Pioneer Cookbook by DUP)

One item at the harvest
table was Acorn squashwhich gets its
name, not only, from the acorn shape, but from the nutty flavor of the flesh
inside.Acorn squash (Cucurbita Pepo) is
low in calories, fats and carbs, since it contains no simple sugars; it is high
in fiber and digests easily. A single
serving contains vitamins A, C and B6; also thiamin, folate, pantothenic acid,
manganese, magnesium and potassium. The squash itself can be cooked by baking,
steaming or microwaving; it can be eaten right out of its shell or stuffed,
pureed for soup, added to mashed potatoes, or frozen for later use. If you were
thinking that butternut or spaghetti squash were the only versatile ones,
aren't you surprised now?

One of the typical ways to
make acorn squash is by baking it in the oven and then coating the flesh with a
butter and brown sugar mixture (the pioneers used molasses salt, cinnamon and
nutmeg). Reading my food related
articles, you know I don’t follow typical recipes. Oh, I did bake it in the
oven, but then stuffed it where it could be eaten as a meal in itself, or as a
side dish. Vegetarians would be happy
with this dish, and while I add Romano cheese to it, it would be their choice
depending on how strict a regime they follow.

From the Cokenour family
to you and yours, Happy Thanksgiving; and eat up for tomorrow we diet!Well, not really until the New Year, but it’s
the thought of losing pounds that counts.

Rinse squash in water and
pat dry; cut in half and scoop out seeds and stringy pulp with a spoon. Place
on baking sheet cut side down; bake for 30 minutes.

While squash is baking,
heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat; sauté’
onion and bell pepper for 3 minutes. Add in garlic, let cook for another minute
before adding the leaves, salt and Italian seasoning. Mix thoroughly and let
cook for 5 minutes before removing from heat; keep warm.

After 30 minutes, remove
baking sheet from oven, turn over the squash halves and place together to help
hold each other upright. Drizzle a
teaspoon of oil and sprinkle a teaspoon of cheese inside each half. Stuff with the leaf mixture; return to oven
and bake for 5 minutes before serving.

Friday, November 11, 2016

The
answer to that is sort of yes, and sort of no. The Spanish word “faja” means
belt or girdle; and refers to the cut of meat known as “skirt steak”. The word
“fajita” means a smaller version of the skirt steak itself, or the thin strips
cut to create the fajita filling. Grilling meat was not a new style of cooking
for the Mexican culture, nor for America; but Mexican vaqueros (cowboys)
introduced their American counterparts to their style. Many parts of cattle
were discarded, such as the skirt, or given to the ranch hands in lieu of
monetary compensation for their work. The meat needed to be grilled to remove
the membrane, or “silver skin”, from both sides; it helped keep juices in, but
was still too tough to ingest.Even
today, many cuts of beef from the market retain the “silver skin” under that
layer of fat left attached.That price
per pound you just paid for includes the section you’re going to throw
away.Marinating the meat all day, or
night, guarantees tough beef will be tender and flavorful, but that came later
on in culinary history.

While
the fajita originally contained beef, nowadays it can contain chicken, pork,
seafood, or a combination of these items. Other typical ingredients served with
the fajita are onions, shredded lettuce, bell and/or hot peppers, Spanish rice,
refried beans, cheese and condiments such as sour cream, salsa and guacamole.
Wrapped in warm tortillas, the fajita becomes the perfect little type of
sandwich; packed with food and flavors.Personally, I’m a minimalist, I want to taste the grilled meat, chicken
or seafood, and vegetables; so I typically add a little cheese and sour
cream.However some fajitas I’ve seen
have been so packed with extras, the tortilla could barely have the ends
meet.Hmm, does that make it a “taco”
now, instead of a fajita?

While
delving into the history of cuisines might be a bore to most, I see it as
knowledge gained.With all the stories I
write, about San Juan County, in my travel blog; many residents have outright
stated that I’ve become a bit of a historian in my own right.Basically, I’m keeping the knowledge of
history, whether food or geographically related, alive; and we all know that
knowledge is power.

Fajitas

Ingredients:

2
lbs. sirloin or round steak, cut into 2” x ¼” strips

2
lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2” x ¼ “strips

2
large onions, cut into ¼” strips

1
large each red, yellow and green bell peppers, cut into ¼” strips

1
tsp ground black pepper

1
Tbsp. garlic powder

2
Tbsp. canola oil

1
dozen 8” tortillas (corn or flour)

Marinade:

½
cup canola oil

½
cup white wine vinegar

2
Tbsp. minced garlic

2
jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced

1
½ Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

1
Tbsp. ground cumin

1
tsp ground black pepper

Garnish:

Salsa

Refried
Beans

Sour
Cream

Shredded
Mexican Blend or Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation:

Put
steak and chicken strips in two separate sealable plastic bags. Prepare
marinade by placing all ingredients listed under Marinade into small bowl and
whisking together. Divide marinade between the two bags; seal and refrigerate
overnight. In a third plastic bag, place the onion and pepper strips, black
pepper, garlic powder, 2 Tbsp. oil inside; gently shake to mix together and
also refrigerate overnight with steak and chicken.

When
ready to make fajitas, separately cook steak, chicken and vegetables in a
medium skillet on medium-high heat. Cook steak and chicken until no pink is
showing; cook vegetables until tender. For the tortillas, heat a 10” skillet or
stove top griddle on medium-high heat; warm tortillas for 30 seconds on each
side.

Serve
steak, chicken, vegetables and tortillas with items listed under Garnish, so
each serving can be made as desired.

Friday, November 4, 2016

As much as I enjoy making recipes from scratch, time constraints necessitate using boxed, canned, frozen or prepackaged food sources. When it comes to macaroni and cheese, my recipe for Creamy Macaroni and Cheese is better than any packaged brand. Four different cheeses melted into a heavy cream mixture before drenching perfectly cooked elbow macaroni...heavenly! But, it takes time to create, and sometimes that isn't convenient, so I go to the box. We prefer the Velveeta Shells and Cheese; it's the "rather have liquid cheese than powdered" principle. As to whether Velveeta is really a cheese, I'll leave that to those who have the free time for this debate.

I made meatloaf to go with my Shells and Cheese casserole. As a joke, I took a photo of my meal next to the picture on the box. Personally, I think my meal photo looks much more appetizing.

Shells and
Cheese Casserole

Ingredients:

1 (24 oz.) box Velveeta
Shells and Cheese

1 (10 oz.) can cream of
mushroom soup

1 (12 oz.) package frozen
corn, thawed

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced
tomatoes, drained

½ cup diced onion

½ tsp ground black pepper

¾ cup crumbled bacon

Preparation:

Prepare Velveeta Shells
and Cheese according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 350F;
grease 3 quart baking dish with butter.

In a large bowl, mix
remaining ingredients, except bacon, with the prepared shells and cheese.Spread evenly into butter baking dish;
sprinkle bacon over top.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Snickerdoodle, a whimsical
name for a cookie laden with sugar and cinnamon.Depending on the recipe, this light cookie
can be crunchy with a crackled top, or soft like a thin cake.Now the question is, why the name
Snickerdoodle?“The Joy of Cooking” (in
print since 1936) claims it is of German descent; corruption of the word
Schneckennudel meaning "snail noodles". Then there are the Dutch with
their word “snekrad” which also means “snail”.The only thing I see similar to a snail is the round, sticky dough balls
rolled in the sugar/cinnamon coating.

Personally I lean towards
the third theory of origin, 19th century New England, and the habit
of giving whimsical names.Geography
lesson time!New England is a
geographical region which comprises six states of the northeastern United
States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and
Vermont.It is bordered by the state of
New York to the west and south which leads to Utah.If you are looking at a United States map
right now, you’ve done a double take on what I have just written, and I’ve
totally lost you.Let’s follow my
disjointed logic; Brigham Youngand
Joseph Smith were born and raised Vermont; however, they developed their Mormon
following in New York which eventually traveled to the Midwestern states, and
finally to Utah.So it shouldn’t be a
wonder for the love of Snickerdoodles by Utahns.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

2. Add the butter and 1
1/2 cups of sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and cream together on medium
speed until the butter is light and fluffy and the sugar is well incorporated.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the egg, beating until it is incorporated.

3. Remove the bowl from
the mixer and mix in the dry ingredients with a spatula until well blended.
Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

4. Mix together the 1/4
cup of sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Form walnut-sized balls out of the
cookie dough and roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar. Place the balls on a
greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.

5. Bake for 8 to 12
minutes, turning the pan once for even baking. Cool 5 to 10 minutes on the pan,
and then remove to a rack and cool completely.

About 2 dozen cookies.

A month or so ago, I was
shopping at Walmart and came upon “Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies” in the bakery
department.Now while we love pumpkin
cookies, the incorporation of Snickerdoodles was tempting to taste test.Primarily they were regular pumpkin cookies
with an extra sugary topping, and a slight crispness around the edges.While not impressed, it did give me the
inspiration to create my own version.My
wonderful “guinea pigs” from the Monticello City Office, San Juan Record and
Monticello Welcome Center were pretty much in agreement; soft cookie with a
slight pumpkin taste, more of the Snickerdoodle coming out in my version.

Especially at this time of
the year when pumpkins are being carved into Halloween décor; “the guts” being
converted into roasted pumpkin seeds; the meat going into pies and breads, now
you have another type of pumpkin cookie to make!Serve them up next to the Thanksgiving
desserts; place a few on Santa’s plate for that extra good girl/boy gift in
your stocking.Then again, a few on your
own little plate, a steaming hot mug of cocoa, a good book to lose yourself in,
now that’s cozy comfort time!

In a
large bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, but only
to combine, not to the pale and fluffy stage.Mix in egg yolk, pumpkin and vanilla extract thoroughly.

Still Use My Tupperward Egg Separator.

Set mixer on low; slowly add in dry
ingredients until combined; scrape down sides to incorporate all ingredients. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, chill in
refrigerator for 1 hour; dough will be slightly sticky, but manageable for
rolling.

Preheat oven to 350
degrees.Line cookie sheets with
parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk
together sugar and cinnamon. Scoop dough out 1 tablespoon at a time, roll into
a ball; roll dough ball in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat evenly.

Space cookies 2-inches apart; bake for 15
-17 minutes (they should look just slightly under-baked as they'll cook
slightly once removed from oven). Cool on cookie sheets 5 minutes, transfer to wire
racks to cool completely; outside of cookies will become crispier while inside
will remain soft and cake-like.